Various types of personal vaporizers have been known in the art for many years. In general, such vaporizers are characterized by heating a solid to a smoldering point, vaporizing a liquid by heat, or nebulizing a liquid by heat and/or by expansion through a nozzle. Such devices are designed to release aromatic materials in the solid or liquid while avoiding high temperatures of combustion and associated formation of tars, carbon monoxide, or other harmful byproducts. Preferably, the device releases a very fine mist with a mouth feel similar to smoke, under suction. Thus, a vaporizing device can be made to mimic traditional smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and hookahs in certain aspects, while avoiding significant adverse health effects of traditional tobacco or other herbal consumption.
Concerns have been raised, however, about the dosages of active compounds administered by a vaporizer and the possible presence of trace contaminants. Consumers of vaporizers must generally rely on the representations of suppliers with regard to purity and composition of vaporizer outputs and inputs (e.g., vaporizing fluid). Presently, there is no convenient way for consumers to test the actual output of the vaporizers they are using.
Similarly, consumers purchase and use a wide variety of air fresheners or the like, with very little or no information about the compounds that these products are emitting into the breathable air space and that they are exposing their bodies to. Presently, consumers have no convenient way to really know or control what compounds they are exposing themselves to by using air fresheners or similar products. Moreover, consumers have no convenient way, or no way at all, to control which compound, or which mix of compounds, are emitted into an air space for air freshening, deodorization, air treatment, personal therapy, recreation, or for any other purpose.
It would be desirable, therefore, to develop new technologies for such applications, that overcome these and other limitations of the prior art, and that enhance the utility of vaporizers, analysis equipment, and air treatment equipment.